As you may or may not know, our team of artists at Humble Abode are actually Interior Designers by day. Many artists create art for the sake of art. That is all well and good, but we're a little different. We approach every piece we create with the end result in mind - how it will look in people's homes hanging on their walls. One of the best parts about launching this shop is that it gave us an avenue to be able to create custom art for our clients, perfectly tailored to their color palettes. And if we're doing our Design jobs right, those color palettes are classic and on trend enough that they'll translate to even more people!
Today I’m going to share my process for creating one of my favorites in the shop, the Kristin abstract art. One, because it's fun to see behind the scenes in this process, but also Two - so that you can see how you can pull out colors that you have in your home and spot pieces that will compliment your house.
First things first. I pull out materials we're using on the project and lay them out. In this New Traditional bathroom we were using whites, grayed blues, marble, and warm wood tones, so that helps me know what colors will work well in the space. Start there and identify the few main colors you have in your space.
Don’t be afraid to throw in a richer accent color or two. If your space is mostly neutral, your art doesn't have to be completely neutral. You can pull in a bold color and really make your new piece a focal point. I knew we wanted a little bit of interest here, but wanted the overall vibe to be serene. I could have pulled in a bright poppy orange and it would have looked pretty, but not had the right mood. So instead I wove in a bit of blush pink. It gives depth and interest without being too IN YOUR FACE.
When it's time to get painting I make sure I have a glass of whiskey in hand so I don't take myself too seriously (it's just paint after all) and get the creative juices flowing.
This is what the painting process looks like in hyper speed (notice the whiskey glass gets lower and lower). The creative process is tricky, but it always follows these exact steps:
It takes trial and error. Sometimes I have to shelve a piece and walk away from it for minutes, hours, or weeks before I'm ready to tackle it again. Other times it all comes together in one sitting. I never know which way it will go until I'm in it.
Here's how the final piece turned out:
And here is Kristin installed in her new home. For nearly all the art in our shop, I create each piece very small (typically 8x10 or smaller) and we scan it at a high resolution and then print it at a larger scale. Here we blew up the size and had the digital file printed on a 24x36 canvas.
You can see how the deep blue in the artwork mirrors the deeper blue in the shower niche, and the lighter blue is pulled out of the accessories and tall vanity cabinets.
We love how this space turned out, and how this piece became the fun little surprise around the corner to enjoy while you're soaking in the tub.
Let us know in the comments what questions you have about finding art that will work in your space or colors you'd like to see in upcoming releases! And see the full gallery of this master bath design, head here!